Forrester adds force to his flair and shifts the balance of power to the West

Sunday 17 September 2006 21.08 EDT
First published on Sunday 17 September 2006 21.08 EDT

With Bristol and Gloucester unbeaten and firing on all cylinders, the balance of power in the Premiership is tipping towards the west. In the East Midlands, meanwhile, Tigers fans are clearly wondering what has become of the competition's former heavyweights after the thumping loss to Bath and this lacklustre performance.

While Gloucester's young back line were again prominent, with the promising centre Anthony Allen scoring their second try and Brad Davies returning from Pertemps Bees to level the scores in the 79th minute, their outstanding performer on Saturday was James Forrester at No8.

With Martin Corry no better than any of his dilatory fellow Tigers - the black eye he sustained on Saturday symbolised the roughing up Gloucester inflicted in the second half - and Lawrence Dallaglio still to return after injury, the debate over the composition of the England back row for the autumn internationals becomes more intriguing by the week.

Forrester's contribution included Gloucester's first try, a classic high-speed piece of support running, and the pass that set up Allen's score, plus an early score disallowed after the ball went forward. But his ability in this area has never been in doubt; what caught the eye on Saturday was his more muscular presence, particularly in the tackle.

"He's been able to score tries for years but today he turned three balls over, he was everything he aspires to be," purred his coach Dean Ryan. "This was a significant game for him, because in the past he'd have been sitting out on the wing waiting for the running game to happen."

Missing England's tour down under through injury may have been a blessing in disguise for the 25-year-old, who spent the summer in the gym under the guidance of the former All Black fitness coach Mike Anthony, with the aim of increasing his bulk while hanging on to his natural speed. He emerged a stone heavier. Having just missed out on the Australia tour, Forrester must surely be in the frame for the autumn Tests.

As for their hosts, Tigers' England flanker Lewis Moody admitted that there is increasing frustration within the side. "We've alluded to a number of things we wanted to put right after the first game and it's now the third game and we're not on top of it."

Although Seru Rubeni was a robust presence on the wing, Leicester squandered try-scoring opportunities and, most untypically, their defence no longer looks watertight. "We're leaking tries," said Moody. "It's unheard of for a Leicester side to concede tries; when we lose, it's usually through penalties. There is a defence problem and we need to work on it."